Tag Archives: Dell Inc.

A true entrepreneur sees the need for a product or service, then utilizes all the resources available to him to offer that service or produce that product. A perfect example of this mix of qualities is Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, Inc. – a company that sells computers directly to consumers. Dell was smart enough to recognize a gap in the computer retail market, and he used his skills and resources to fill that gap.

Dell’s entrepreneurial attributes appeared early in life. In his younger years, he invested monies that he earned in stocks and precious metals. One summer during high school, Dell sold subscriptions to the Houston Post to earn some extra money. After realizing that newlyweds and others moving into a new home were more likely to buy a local newspaper subscription, Dell made $18,000 in one year – an amount that exceeded the salaries of his teachers. By the age of fifteen, Dell had been introduced to early computers and was hooked. He purchased an Apple II computer for the sole purpose of disassembling it, in order to see how it worked.

While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Dell launched his now-famous computer business. With only $1,000 from his savings account as seed money, he started building computers in his dorm room and selling them to other students, cutting out the middleman and saving his customers money. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine when he was only 24. By the age of 27, Michael Dell was the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and he was a billionaire by the age of 35.